Always At Your Side rewrite
by Draven Star
Summary: rewrite of Always At Your Side. In this one, Nikana has been raised by Vader and Padmé, but doesn't know that she has two older siblings, Luke and Leia. The twins and Han capture her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any original characters and dialogue from the movies and books. 

Author's note: I use regular o'clock times (like nine-thirty, ten-fifteen, etc.) and miles/feet/inches because it's easier for me.

**Chapter One**

Nikana moved her new ship to a hangar in the _Executor_. Her parents gave it to her last week. She liked it, even though they probably weren't going to let her travel anywhere alone, except to one of the Star Destroyers.

After landing, she went through several long hallways to her father's private meeting room. She was always admitted to go in there, since she pretended to be one of Darth Vader's few most trusted spies. Only Emperor Palpatine knew that she was really his daughter.

As she approached, a Falleen man was just coming out of the room. The doors slid closed behind him. He was taller than her and didn't appear to be more than ten years older, but since Falleen lived a long time and aged slower than humans, he could be almost one hundred. She wondered if he was one of her father's real spies.

"Hello," he said politely as he walked past her.

"Is Lord Vader in there?" she asked, even though she knew that he was.

"Yes," the man answered, stopping. "Is he expecting you?"

"Yes. I...work for him," Nikana said. If he had asked her what her name was, she would have used her fake last name, Aladima - Amidala spelled backwards.

"So do I," the man replied.

Nikana believed him, but she decided to ask her father about him later. She went up to the door and waited for it to open. The man left.

* * *

As she entered the room, she gave Vader a small, faint smile. On her thirteenth birthday, four-and-a-half years ago, he and Padmé told her that he wasn't really in the maintenance crew on one of the Star Destroyers, but was actually Darth Vader. Nikana didn't hate him, but their relationship was not the same. She was uncomfortable around him. Vader blamed it on the Rebellion. If they weren't disrupting the galaxy's peace and trying to convince everyone that the Empire was bad, then his daughter wouldn't be acting this way. He could not wait to convince Luke and Leia to join him.

"The ship is wonderful," Nikana said. She had Vader's blue eyes and blonde hair, which went a little past her shoulders.

Padmé was the one who had come up with her first name. Vader had not realized that Nikana's name was Anakin spelled backwards, until he saw her writing a letter to her sister two days later. He had been angry, but Padmé insisted that they had already been calling the baby Nikana for two days, and she didn't want to change it.

"Did your mother come with you?" he asked.

"Yes. She's waiting in the ship," Nikana answered. She paused. "Who was that Falleen man who just left?"

"One of my spies. Did he bother you?"

"No. I was just wondering," she said, looking at his mask for a second. Before she had known that he was Vader, he had hidden his armor whenever he was at home and never wore it around her.

"I will see you later," she added. She left.

* * *

Padmé was waiting in the ship's empty storage room. Like Nikana, she pretended to be Vader's spy. She was fifty-one now, but hadn't aged much, and could pretend to be Nikana's sister if she wanted. Of course, Nikana did have a sister and a brother, but she did not know that.

Three days after Vader's fight with Obi-wan on Mustafar, Padmé went to Coruscant - which was already named to Imperial Center. Vader was at the Imperial base there, which was still being constructed. A few Stormtroopers captured her and brought her to him. She told him about giving birth to Luke and Leia, and Obi-wan and Bail Organa taking them.

She was glad to see that he was alright. The lava had scarred some areas on his back, but he had moved out of the way before more of it could splash onto him. Obi-wan's lightsaber blade had brushed against one of his legs, but the burn would heal. He still wore his armor during the day, for protection.

Six years later, when she found out that she was pregnant again, neither of them were as happy as they had been with the twins. They did not want to hide another child, but did not want the Emperor bothering him or her, either. Finally, though, they decided to keep the baby with them. Padmé knew that Leia and Luke would understand.

They had planned to tell Nikana on her thirteenth birthday that she had two older siblings, but she was already upset after learning that her father was Vader, so they decided to wait until Luke and Leia joined the Empire.

"Mom?" Nikana called.

Padmé left the storage room and went back to the ship's cockpit.

* * *

Luke, Leia, and Han were inside their house on Naboo, in the Lake Country. Leia had gotten it last week, a few days before they rescued Han from Jabba's palace. Han had not been happy when he heard that she and Luke had been staying here together, but he believed her when she told him that nothing had happened, and now they all knew that she and Luke were brother and sister.

The house had been a little expensive - it had three bedrooms and its own pond, but Leia didn't mind spending most of her money on it. She hoped that if they defeated the Empire soon, she and Han could get married and have a family.

"Who is she?" Leia asked. Luke had just handed a picture to her. It showed a blonde-haired human girl standing in front of a diner on Imperial Center.

"Nikana Aladima," he answered.

Han stood behind Leia, looking at the picture. "Why do you want to capture her?"

"Our spy on the Executor says that she works for our father," Luke replied. "She goes to see him often, so she may be one of his more trusted spies."

Only Han knew who the twins' father was. They hadn't even told Chewbacca.

Leia thought for a moment. "Luke, why don't you bring her here?"

"No," Han told her.

"We have an extra bedroom, and we can just take any weapons she has with her. She might be more willing to talk to us if we don't put her in a prison cell and scare her."

"I think that's a good idea," Luke said. "We can keep her from escaping, Han."

"Fine, but if she does escape, then she'll tell Vader where we live," he replied.

* * *

The next chapter will be up in a couple of days. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Why did you marry him?" Nikana asked. She sat on the bed in her parents' room, in their two-level house on Yavin Four. They had lived here since she was two weeks old, but she did not have many friends. She had never gone to school with other kids her age, and the two or three friends that she did have were now at universities on other planets.

"I met him before the Empire was started," Padmé said. Nikana did not know that Vader used to be a Jedi.

"I know, but why did you want to stay with him?"

"I love him. I didn't agree with some of the things he did, but I realized that it would be unfair if I left without trying to understand why he thought the Empire was best. He had always been there whenever _I_ had a problem."

"Oh," Nikana said softly.

Just then, the door slid open, and Vader came inside. Padmé got up and went over to him.

"Did you tell her?" he asked.

Nikana looked at them. "What?"

"The Emperor is coming to the Devastator next week," Vader answered as Padmé hugged him. "It will be near Yavin Four."

"Are you worried that he might find out that we live here?"

"No," said Padmé. "Your father is meeting with him and wants me to go. We will let you stay here."

"Alone?" Nikana was surprised. They had never let her stay home by herself while they left the planet. She always went with them and stayed in the ship if necessary.

"It will only be a few hours."

"I do not like this, Nikana," Vader added, "but I want to keep you away from the Emperor as much as possible."

She nodded. She didn't think that the Emperor was scarier than her father, but she still didn't like him being nearby. She hoped that he would stay on the _Devastator_ and not come to Yavin Four.

* * *

The next afternoon, Nikana saw the Falleen man again, when she and Padmé went back to the _Executor_ in her ship. Until the Star Destroyer left the Yavin system tomorrow, Vader wanted them to stay near him.

While Padmé went to his private chambers, Nikana decided to go to the medical department and say hello to Dr. Kerrin. She had met him one day, when she had a cut on her finger, and had seen him a couple of other times. He was always friendly to her. She wondered if he actually liked the Empire or had been forced to work here.

She looked inside the entrance of his medical room. He was talking to the Falleen man that she had seen the other day.

"I'm sorry," she told them. "I'll come back."

The Falleen man looked at her. "Stay. I don't mind."

"Hello, Nikana," Dr. Kerrin said. "What kind of ship did you say you have?"

"A Nubian cruiser," Nikana replied.

"Oh. Well, I must be going. One of the officers wants to see me."

"Alright."

Once Dr. Kerrin was gone, the Falleen man said, "I just came back from Nubia."

"Were you working for our master?" Nikana asked, wondering if he was one of her father's favorite spies.

"Yes." He held his hand out. "I am Ray."

Nikana hesitated, then shook it. Now she was a little suspicious about him being so cordial, but maybe he really was friendly. Even though he was Darth Vader's spy, that didn't mean that _he_ had to be mean and frightening, too.

"It's nice meeting you," she told him. She suddenly remembered that her father wanted her to come to his private chambers. "Speaking of our master, he is expecting me. I don't want to be late."

"That would not be good," Ray agreed. He raised her hand, which he was still holding, to his mouth and kissed it. "Goodbye."

She looked at him for a moment as he let go of her. She had gone on a few dates last month, with Admiral Piett's nephew, whom her parents approved of, and although he was nice, they had never started a real relationship. He was now at an Imperial outpost on Malastare, training to become an officer.

"Goodbye," she replied.

* * *

Later, Luke, Han, and Leia were on the _Millenium Falcon_, on their way back to Naboo, when Dr. Kerrin contacted the ship's holograph pad. Leia answered it.

"I attached the tracking device to Nikana's ship, Your Highness," he said. "It's a Nubian cruiser."

"Thank you," Leia told him.

"Your Highness, I can't do this anymore. My wife just told me that she is pregnant, and I don't want to put her in danger."

"I understand, Kerrin. Congratulations. We appreciate all of your help."

"You are welcome," he replied. He closed the connection.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Padmé looked at the door of her and Darth Vader's bedroom, to be sure that it was closed, even though Nikana was probably still asleep in her room.

"Vader," she said softly, sitting down at her small vanity table, beside the entrace to their refresher. She picked up her hairbrush. "I think we should tell Nikana about Anakin."

"No," he told her. He opened the doors of one of their closets and took a sleeveless dark red shirt out.

"When Luke and Leia are here, she's going to wonder why Luke's last name is Skywalker, and then he will tell her."

"I will deal with it then," Vader said, although he was now thinking about telling Nikana himself. He didn't think that Padmé would slander him, but he preferred that his daughter hear everything from his point of view. He needed to talk with the twins, too.

Padmé opened one of the drawers on the side of her vanity table and took out a small silver box. Inside were a few pictures of the twins that had been taken a couple of weeks ago by one of Vader's spies. In one of them, Luke, Leia, and Lando Calrissian were at a restaurant together. Leia and Lando were sitting beside each other on one side of the table, but the spy had reported that they did not seem to be romantically involved.

There was a knock on the door. Vader waited until Padmé put the pictures away, then went and opened it.

"I'm going to make some gartro eggs," Nikana said as she came inside. "Do you want any?"

"Sure," Padmé answered.

Nikana looked at Vader. "I saw Ray again yesterday, in Dr. Kerrin's room."

"Did you talk to him?" he asked.

"Yes. He said that he just came back from Nubia."

Padmé realized what was going on. She was glad that Nikana had met someone that she was interested in, but she was uneasy about her daughter being with one of Vader's spies.

"Oh." She changed the subject. "Are you worried about being home by yourself next week?"

"You said that you will only be gone for a few hours," Nikana replied, thinking about when Ray kissed her hand yesterday. If nothing happened while she was home alone next week, perhaps her parents would consider letting her go on a date with him, if he asked her. All of her dates with Admiral Piett's nephew had been plays or restaurants, and Padmé and Vader, without his armor, had also gone to most of them, pretending to be two of her friends.

"I was just wondering," Padmé answered. "I'll help you with breakfast."

* * *

The next chapter will be longer, I just wanted to update. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Go to your ship and come to the Executor if you need to," Padmé said. She hugged Nikana and kissed the top of her head, then looked at Darth Vader. She was about to say that she didn't want to do this, but changed her mind. He wanted to keep their daughter away from the Emperor whenever he could, and she agreed with him.

"Alright," she replied. Now she was a little nervous about her first time being home by herself while her parents left the planet, but she was going to be eighteen in a few months. She would be fine, and out of the few friends she had had, she was the only one who had never been on a separate planet from her parents.

Vader hugged her next. He sensed a hint of fear in her. It was probably because of him, not just having to stay home alone.

"What if the Emperor asks us where she is?" Padmé reached under her dark purple cloak and straightened one of her black dress's straps.

"I doubt that he will," Vader said. "He would have told me if he wanted her to come."

"Why would he want me to?" Nikana asked. She was wondering where Ray was right now, but she wasn't going to ask. She knew that her father might not approve of her being interested in him, so she hadn't mentioned him during the past few days. Besides, she had only met him twice. She didn't know anything about him yet.

"I don't know," Padmé answered. "Maybe to ask if your father has been training you."

"But I can't be trained. I don't have the Force."

"No," Vader lied, "but he may wonder if we are training you as a spy."

"Oh."

Padmé hugged Nikana again. "Stay inside while we are gone, unless you have to go to your ship and leave."

"I will."

* * *

Han was hiding in the large bushes on the edge of the front yard. He had come here early this morning, while it was still dark. He had borrowed Lando's new ship. Since Nikana was Vader's spy, she might have followed the _Millenium Falcon_ before.

The human couple who lived with her, or had just stayed here last night, had come outside to the porch for a moment earlier, but they had talked quietly and weren't close enough for Han to hear what they were saying.

He looked through the bush's leaves as they walked to the other side of the front yard, then behind the house. A few minutes later, he heard one of the ships behind the backyard take off.

* * *

Nikana was about to go back upstairs when she heard a buzz from the front door. She stopped. Usually, no one came to their house. Not even her friends, before all of them went off to academies, had come over. It was probably someone who wanted help, or was looking for another house and had come here by mistake.

She ignored the second buzz and went up the stairs.

* * *

Han went around to the back of the house. He had Luke's extra lightsaber, which he used to cut a hole around the back door's lock. Nikana would probably come downstairs when she heard the noise.

He turned off the lightsaber and took out his blaster, and waited. Nikana didn't appear. He started going up the stairs. There couldn't be any other way for her to get out of the house, unless she went out one of the windows.

Finally, she came to the top of the stairs and looked at him. She was wearing red pants and a long-sleeved red shirt, and her blonde hair was down.

"Han Solo," she said quietly, sounding a little scared.

"Don't move," he told her, pointing his blaster at her. It was set on stun.

She turned away, but he went ahead and shot at her. The blaster bolt hit her shoulder. She moved away, but when he reached the top of the stairs, she was lying on the floor.

He carefully picked her up. The stun would wear off in about half-an-hour. It probably wouldn't take that long to walk back to the spot where he had left the ship.

* * *

Lando's ship had a long, padded bench seat in the cockpit, behind the three pilot seats. Han laid Nikana down on it. He didn't think it was necessary to lock her in the storage room, since she had been afraid when she saw him earlier. She would most likely cooperate.

Chewbacca asked if she was injured.

"No," Han answered. "Come on. Let's go."

As he went over to one of the pilot seats, Nikana opened her eyes. Chewbacca told Han.

"What are you doing?" she asked them, without trying to sit up.

"Taking you somewhere. I'm not telling you where," Han said.

"Why?"

"We'll talk about it when we're there."

Nikana guessed that they were capturing her because they thought she was Darth Vader's spy, or maybe they had somehow found out that she was his daughter. She wished that he were here now.

* * *

Han and Chewbacca didn't question her during the ride, and she didn't talk to them. Chewbacca offered her a bottle of water. She took it, but didn't drink any. She stretched out on the seat and fell asleep.

When Chewbacca gently nudged her shoulder, she opened her eyes and sat up. Looking at the front of the ship, she saw Naboo ahead. She almost asked if they were going to a Rebel base, but they probably wouldn't tell her.

She sighed. Tears slid down her cheeks. Hopefully, if they thought that she was Vader's spy and she gave them some information, they would take her back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Nikana was surprised when the ship landed behind a house. At first, she thought it could be a small, disguised Rebel base or a holding place for prisoners, but there were no guards outside.

"Where are we?" she asked. There was a patch of woods to the left, but Chewbacca was standing on that side of her. He would stop her if she tried to run off.

He told her something. Han didn't translate it. They walked over to the house's back terrace. Nikana and her parents always rented a house whenever they visited the Lake Country. She guessed that she was there now. Maybe whoever else was here would tell her.

The back door opened, and Luke Skywalker came outside. Nikana was scared.

"You're going to kill me!" she said. She tried to back away, but Chewbacca gently put one arm around her shoulders and kept her from moving.

"No, I am not," Luke told her. "Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm..." Nikana started. She wanted to see what he said.

"...one of Darth Vader's spies?" he finished.

"Yes." She was relieved. He didn't know that she was actually Vader's daughter.

"Come inside. We just want to talk to you," he said.

Chewbacca let go of her. She hesitated, then followed Luke into the house.

* * *

Leia Organa was in the living room, wearing a simple, sleeveless light pink dress. She smiled at Nikana.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No," Nikana answered softly. "Are we in the Lake Country?"

"Yes," Luke replied. "This is our house."

"Why would you bring me to your house?"

"I thought you might be comfortable here, instead of at a base," said Leia. "Sit down."

_Do they bring all the Imperials that they capture to their house?_ Nikana thought as she sat on the couch. Her eyes were wet with tears again.

"Don't be afraid," Luke told her. "You are free from Darth Vader now. He does not know you are here."

She was quiet. She didn't know how to explain that she _wanted_ to go back to Vader. Her father had taught her about Jedi and Sith, even though she wasn't Force-sensitive, so she knew that Luke would sense if she lied about anything.

He looked at her, feeling her emotions. Instead of being relieved and happy, she was still sad. Perhaps she was truly loyal to Vader.

"If I tell you what you want to know, will you let me go?" she asked them.

"We'll discuss it later," Leia said. "I'll show you your room. You probably want to rest a little."

Nikana wasn't tired, since she had taken a nap on the way here, but she did want to be alone.

* * *

Her room was next to Luke's. There was nothing inside except for a bed, which had nice blankets and pillows, and a viewing screen on the opposite wall. Inside the closet were a few clothes. There was one window, which she could easily go out of, but it would be hard to escape with Luke being in the room beside hers.

"The refresher is right across the hall," Leia told her. "And Luke will be next door if you need anything."

"Thank you," she muttered, sitting on the bed.

Leia touched her shoulder. "I understand that you're frightened, but we aren't going to hurt you. We just need your help."

Nikana didn't say anything. After Leia left, she cried again. They were being nice to her, but now she wished that she had been more understanding about the Empire and the Sith, instead of acting like her father was an evil creep. She missed him and her mother very much.

* * *

"Are you glad that the new one is only half-done?" Padmé whispered to Vader as he stopped their speeder.

"Yes," he said, knowing that she was talking about the Death Star. He did not like it and had not liked the first one. He thought the Star Destroyers were more reliable.

"What are you going to do with it after you...get a promotion?" Padmé asked. She meant after he took over the Empire.

"It will be abandoned," Vader answered.

Before they got out of the speeder, she took his hand and kissed it. "I love you."

He looked at her. "Do you wish that I were still a Jedi?"

"What?" Padmé was startled. "Why?"

"Tell me."

She kissed his hand again. "I love you no matter what."

That didn't really answer the question, but Vader was looking at the house now. Since they had left the _Executor_, something had been bothering him, and he realized what it was. When they landed on Yavin Four, he should have felt Nikana's familiar, strong presence, but he hadn't.

He jerked his hand away from Padmé and got out of the speeder.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, following him.

He went inside the house without replying.

* * *

They looked in every room, and in Nikana's ship. Padmé suggested that she might have gone somewhere, but they both doubted it.

"The Emperor must have had her captured while we were on the Executor," Padmé said. Tears slid down her cheeks.

Vader hugged her. "No. If she were in danger, I would have sensed it."

"Maybe she did leave. Let's go to that café she likes."

"You know that she would not do that."

"No, she wouldn't." Padmé rested her forehead on his chest. "So, someone took Darth Vader's daughter but _doesn't_ want to hurt her?"

Vader thought of Luke. "Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Padmé almost started crying again as she sat down in the living room, thinking about when Nikana was born. She went into labor while her and Darth Vader's ship was in space, almost at the Yavin system. Fortunately, they were able to land on Yavin Four and go to a hospital in time.

"Do you really think Luke took her?" she asked, stretching out a little. She rested her head on Vader's lap. "How could he have found that she is his sister, unless he talks to the Emperor?"

He stroked her cheek. "I do not think he knows. I believe the Rebels want her because she pretends to be one of my spies."

"Maybe Luke will let her go if she tells him that she isn't really a spy."

"He will want to know why she pretends to be one," Vader said, feeling frustrated. When he saw the damaged back door earlier, he suspected that someone had used a lightsaber to cut a hole around the lock. But if it were Luke or Leia, they would have had to get here after he and Padmé left for the _Executor_. He would have sensed their presence as soon as they arrived on Yavin Four.

Mara Jade probably could have come here without Vader recognizing her presence, but earlier, the Emperor had mentioned that she was on Tattooine right now. Vader had not sensed that he was lying.

"What are we going to do?" Padmé asked, sitting up.

"I will send Ray to find her, while we look for her ourselves."

* * *

Nikana was sitting on the bed in her room, watching a podrace on the viewing screen, when there were was a knock on her door. She got up and turned the screen off, wondering if Luke and Leia were ready to ask her questions now. She sighed. She didn't want to give them any information about her father.

Of course, they probably wouldn't let her go even if she did tell them something. She knew where their house was, and they wouldn't want her to tell Darth Vader.

She opened the door. Luke was there.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"_No_," she replied, stepping into the hallway. He didn't stop her. "Where is Leia?"

"She and Han went somewhere."

"Are they together?"

"Yes. They are engaged," Luke answered. "Leia is my sister."

"Oh."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No."

"Han said that two people left your house before he captured you."

"My parents," Nikana said. Her father hadn't been wearing his armor when he and Padmé left, so Han wouldn't have recognized him.

"Do they know that you're one of Darth Vader's spies?"

"Don't ask me questions about them. I would like to leave them out of this."

"I understand." Luke noticed that she hadn't given him an answer, but he didn't mind. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to go somewhere?"

"Okay." Nikana didn't think that this was an opportunity to escape. She would have to wait until she was alone with Han or Leia. So far, she hadn't seen any signs of Leia being trained in the Force. Maybe Luke hadn't taught her anything yet. She might be a little easier to get away from.

* * *

Nikana stayed in her red pants and red shirt. She hadn't tried on any of the clothes in her closet yet. She looked around as Luke's speeder left the house. The nearest city was probably several miles away, since all she saw in the distance were a couple of other houses.

"I've noticed something about you," Luke said.

"What?"

"You don't seem to hate me and Han and Leia - I have not sensed it. We are Rebels."

"I wish you would let me go," Nikana replied, "but I don't _hate_ Rebels."

"What about me? I am a Jedi."

"I don't hate you." Nikana reached up and tied her hair back with a thin black band that she had on her wrist. "If Leia has the Force, is she going to become a Jedi?"

"She does have it. We are twins," Luke replied.

"Both of you are Force-sensitive? That's cool."

"Of course we are. We are family."

Nikana realized what he was saying. "If your parents are Force-sensitive, you inherit it from them?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Oh." She wondered why her parents wouldn't want her to know that she was Force-sensitive. She would be eighteen this year - she was old enough for them to tell her.

After the speeder went over a couple of large hills, she saw a city far ahead. If she had a chance to leave the house during the night, it would probably take her almost until morning to walk there.

"Do you know Mara Jade?" Luke asked.

"No. I see her sometimes, but we aren't friends. She serves the Emperor."

"You make it sound as if you don't like the Emperor."

"I am loyal to Lord Vader," Nikana said. Then she realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to say that. "I mean, you're right. I don't really like the Emperor."

Luke sensed her nervousness. "Relax, Nikana. I am not going to hurt you. I want to help you."

_Then take me home_, she thought. She changed the subject. "Why did you ask about Mara Jade? Do you want to capture her, too?"

"Yes. Do you know where she might be?"

"No."

* * *

Ray heard a buzz from his holograph pad a few minutes after he entered his house. He lived on the planet Falleen, in a town near one of the rainforest areas.

He went into the extra bedroom, which was empty except for the holograph pad, and closed the door behind him. Only Vader contacted him on this pad.

"My Lord," he said, bowing his head.

"One of my spies has disappeared," Vader told him. "Nikana Aladima. Find her."

Ray was a little surprised. He had only met Nikana twice, but she didn't seem foolish enough to try to run away from their master. Perhaps she had gotten lost somewhere.

"I last saw her on Naboo. I want her alive. Do _not_ harm her."

"Yes, My Lord," Ray said.

* * *

After Ray's image faded, Vader took off his helmet.

"Why did you say Naboo?" Padmé asked.

"Because if your sister and Darred have something to do this, Ray can deal with them. You and I will go to Imperial Center. If the Emperor is involved, I will handle it."

At first, Padmé was angry that Vader was accusing Sola and Darred, but she remembered that he had not sensed that their daughter was in danger. Other than Luke, she could not think of many other people who would not hurt Nikana. If it was them, Nikana could make sure that Ray did not harm them.

After she went inside the house and got a few clothes, she and Vader left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Luke and Nikana didn't talk as much inside the restaurant. They were not going to discuss the Empire or the Rebellion in public. The place was small and not busy tonight; only about half of the tables were taken. Nikana looked around to see if anyone recognized Luke - a Rebel leader - but no one did.

She was quiet the whole time. Luke seemed to realize that she didn't feel like talking. He asked her a couple of small questions, like if she had ever been to the Lake Country before, then left her alone.

As they rode back to the house, she thought of something.

"Luke?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Could you have someone contact my parents and tell them that I am alright?"

"I would like to," Luke said, "but that wouldn't be a good idea. If Vader has someone looking for you, you do not want them to find out that Rebels have talked to your parents."

Nikana sighed. For a moment, she thought of opening the speeder's side door and jumping out, but she didn't want to hurt herself. Besides, the house was just ahead of them now.

* * *

Later, Luke was almost asleep when he felt Darth Vader trying to mentally reach him. Lately, he had been doing it once or twice a week. Luke usually ignored him, but tonight, he decided not to. He wanted to find out if his father suspected that he had Nikana.

_Father_, he said.

_You want to speak to me_, Vader replied. _Have you considered joining me?_

_Do you want to talk to me about something other than that?_

_The Rebels have one of my spies._

_Who?_

_Nikana Aladima_, answered Vader.

Luke hesitated. His father didn't know where he was, so admitting that Nikana was with him would not help Vader find either of them.

_She was captured_, he replied. _She did not come to us. Don't be angry at her_.

Vader didn't say anything else. Luke felt their connection fade.

* * *

Vader woke up Padmé, who was laying beside him on the bed in their ship's bedroom, and told her everything.

"Did Luke say that she is with him right now?" she asked, sitting up.

"No, but if she is not, he knows where she is."

Padmé was relieved until she thought of something else. "Did he say that he knows she is his sister?"

"No." Vader knew what she was thinking. "Do not worry."

"I guess he isn't interested in having a relationship right now. He is too busy with the Jedi and the Rebellion. And he knows about Leia."

"Yes," Vader replied. Luke had connected with him mentally before, about three weeks ago. He had told their son that Leia was his twin sister, nothing else. Luke didn't attempt to reach him again.

Padmé lay down again. Vader draped his arm over her. She turned over, so that she was facing him, and kissed his shoulder. She thought about him suddenly asking her if she wished that he were still a Jedi. He had probably wanted to see what she would say. She was not worried. He knew that she loved him as much as she had when he was Anakin.

"Good night," she said. She fell asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

By the next afternoon, Ray had not made any progess. Darth Vader had only said that he last saw Nikana on Naboo. He had not even mentioned what city. Since he didn't know where to look first, Ray had decided to go to Theed, the capital. He had checked several hotels, none of which Nikana was staying in, unless she was using a fake name. He had also gone to a couple of parks and theaters, but of course, she had not been at any of them.

Right now, he was in his ship, thinking about when he had talked to Nikana in Dr. Kerrin's office on the _Executor_. The only thing he had learned about her was that her ship was a Nubian cruiser.

The holograph pad in the back of the ship beeped. He went to answer it.

Once Vader's image formed, he bowed his head.

"I have been informed that Nikana has been captured by Rebels," Vader said. "It is likely that she is with Luke Skywalker or Leia Organa."

"Yes, My Lord," Ray replied. He wondered if she had really been captured, or had gone to the Rebels herself.

After Vader closed the connection, he left the ship. Last week, he had reported seeing Leia Organa here on Naboo, in the Lake Country.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"Is Nikana still asleep?" Leia asked when Luke came out to the back terrace. She had wanted to invite Nikana to go to one of the nearby lakes, but rain was forecasted for today and tomorrow. The sky was turning grey.

"No," he answered. "She just wants to be alone."

"Maybe she'll talk to me."

"I have to tell you something first," Luke said.

"What is it?"

"Father knows that we have her. He tried to talk to me mentally, and I didn't ignore him."

"Why not?" Leia asked. A few raindrops were coming down now, but she didn't care if she got wet. She wanted to talk out here.

"I wanted to see if he would say something about Nikana," Luke answered. "He did. He guessed that the Rebels have her. She must be very trusted if he cares to find her."

"What did you say?"

"That she was captured. He doesn't know where we are."

Leia was a little annoyed. "Do the two of you talk to each other mentally all the time?"

"No. Only a couple of times," Luke said. He paused. "He was the one who told me that you are my sister."

"You said that Yoda told you."

"No. Vader told me first. I didn't say anything when Yoda told me."

Leia was quiet for a moment. Luke sensed that she was uneasy.

"Don't tell Nikana about this," he added. "I don't want her to worry."

"Okay," she said quietly.

* * *

Nikana was laying on the bed. She didn't feel like watching anything on the screen. She was now wearing some of the clothes from the closet; dark purple pants and a white shirt with long, loose sleeves. The pants were her size, and the shirt was only one size too big.

Someone knocked on the door. She sighed and got up.

She was a little relieved when she saw Leia. She opened the door all the way and let her in.

"Are you hungry?" Leia asked. "I'm going to have lunch. Han and Chewie and Luke just left. They went to the city."

"Yes," Nikana said, feeling better now. Only Leia was here. This would be a good opportunity to escape, but she decided to wait until later, when it was dark outside. Perhaps Luke, Han, and Chewbacca wouldn't be back before then.

* * *

They sat down in the dining room. Leia had made fruit salad. Nikana was hungry, since she hadn't wanted to join the others for breakfast earlier.

"Congratulations on your engagement," she said.

"Thank you," Leia replied. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"I suppose it would be hard to find someone who wouldn't leave you after learning that you work for Darth Vader."

"Yes." Actually, Nikana would have to deal with telling someone that she was Vader's daughter. But she had never really been worried about that. She didn't think it would be a problem if she married an Imperial officer or one of her father's real spies.

"What do your parents think?"

"Please don't ask me questions about them. I would like to leave them out of this."

"Alright," Leia said. Luke had told her that Nikana had said that to him.

"Thank you."

"Where are you going to hide after we release you?"

"I'm not going to tell you. I don't want you to capture me again," Nikana said. She wasn't excited to hear that they were going to let her go. She doubted that it would be anytime soon.

"Nikana, we did this to help you. Aren't you glad to be free from Vader now?"

"At least I saw my parents when I was working for him."

"I know you want to speak to them," said Leia, "but Luke is right. Vader has probably already had a spy look for them, and it wouldn't be good if someone told him that Rebels contacted them."

"I am sorry for sounding mean," Nikana told her, meaning it. She had to continue acting friendly and cooperative. They would see that she was not a threat.

Luke was not going to fall for that, though. He was a Jedi. He already seemed to suspect that something was strange about her, and he would probably question her about it. She didn't know what she was going to say.

"I understand." Leia stuck her fork in a couple of pieces of yellow fruit. "I wanted to go to one of the lakes today, but it started raining. Maybe we can go tomorrow."

"Alright," Nikana said. Han, Luke, or Chewbacca would probably go with them, to make sure that she didn't try to escape.

They talked more about Naboo and Leia and Han's wedding. Nikana started to like Leia a little, now that the Rebel wasn't questioning her about Vader and the Empire. But she kept in mind that Leia was wanted by her father. She was not going to become friends with her.

* * *

Ray reached the Lake Country a few hours later.

He was in the city where he had seen Leia Organa last week, and he knew that one of Vader's other spies had seen her here a few times. Perhaps she was still staying or was living around here. Even if she didn't have Nikana, she would know where she was.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Nikana stayed in her room until Leia knocked on the door.

"We are going out for dinner," she said.

"You and I?" Nikana asked.

"And Han and Luke."

"I'll get ready," Nikana said.

After she closed the door, she tried to think of something to do. She wouldn't be able to leave the restaurant with Han and Luke there. She went to the closet and took out her own clothes, the red shirt and pants that she had been wearing when Han captured her, then brushed her hair.

* * *

When she went out into the hall, all three of the Rebels were there.

"We can handle Nikana," Han was telling Luke. "Go."

"What's wrong?" Nikana asked, even though she didn't expect them to tell her.

"Mara Jade has been captured," Leia said. "Han, you and I should go. We can bring her here."

"We aren't bringing her here," Han told her.

"I'll go," Luke said. "I want to talk to Nikana for a moment."

Han and Leia went to the front of the house. Nikana suddenly felt scared, wondering if Luke was going to ask her questions about Vader now. She hoped that he did bring Mara Jade here. She and the Emperor's Hand did not know each other, but at least she wouldn't be alone.

"I am going to Tattooine to get Mara," Luke said. "Don't try to escape."

Nikana didn't say anything. She started to walk away, but Luke raised one hand and made her stop. She couldn't move. After a second, he released her.

"Does your master ever have you spy on Mara Jade?" he asked.

"No," Nikana said, thinking about Vader. Her eyes were wet. "Luke, I'm not a spy."

"You're not?" he asked.

"No. My parents are Imperials."

"You were pretending to be one of Vader's spies?"

"Yes," Nikana answered. That was true - she did pretend to be his spy, not his daughter. Now she wished that she hadn't said anything. Her father was going to be angry.

"Why are you telling me?"

"I don't know."

Luke surprised her by putting his arm around her shoulders. "We can help them, too, Nikana, if they will let us."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"We will talk about it when I return from Tattooine."

"Thank you," Nikana said.

He let go of her. "Stay with Han and Leia."

* * *

Nikana sat in the back seat of Han and Leia's speeder. They mostly talked to each other during the first few minutes of the ride. She realized that she had another problem now - Luke was going to ask her questions about her parents, and he would want to know what they did in the Empire.

Finally, Leia turned in her seat a little and asked, "Are you alright, Nikana?"

"No," she answered. Before they left the house, she went back to her room to check her make-up, since she had started crying. Luke had probably told Han and Leia everything then.

"There's something I noticed," Han said. "When you and Luke were going to the restaurant yesterday, you said that you are loyal to Vader. He told us. So, do you and your parents like him?"

"Luke said we could talk about it when he comes back from Tattooine," Nikana replied.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Han, don't scare her," Leia said. She was thinking about Luke talking to their father mentally. She guessed that Vader couldn't connect with her because she hadn't been trained. She wondered if he wanted to speak to her.

* * *

"I haven't been here before," Nikana said as they approached the restaurant's entrance.

"It just opened a couple of weeks ago," Leia told her.

Nikana stayed where she was. There was a small pond nearby, surrounded by a few bushes and rocks. She seemed to be looking at some of the people near it. There were two Falleen men talking to each other, and three women - a Chiss and two humans - near them.

"Ray!" she called. She hurried over to the two Falleen men.

* * *

"Nikana. I have been looking for you," Ray said, not loud enough for Han and Leia to hear.

She came up to him and hugged him. She didn't know him any better than she knew Han, Luke, and Leia - this was only the third time they had met - but she was happy to see him.

He put one of his arms around her and looked over at Leia and Han. They were walking away from the restaurant, back to the speeder parking area. They had to let her go. If they came over here and tried to take her back, it would make a scene. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, in case somebody might recognize that they were Rebels.

Ray let go of Nikana and said something to the other Falleen man, in the Falleen language. The man said something back. Nikana understood that it was "Good evening". Then he left.

"We will go to Imperial Center," said Ray. "There is a transport ship leaving soon."

"Okay." Now Nikana felt a little embarrassed about hugging him. She hoped that he wasn't annoyed. "Let's go."


	10. Chapter 10

elven-cat2: Vader and Padmé were currently on Imperial Center, so they could get Nikana quicker if Ray brought her there. Also, Vader doesn't trust any of his spies to see where he lives. Even if Nikana pretended that the house was hers (not Vader's), Vader wouldn't want anyone to know where she lives, either, after she was kidnapped. 

**Chapter Ten**

Ray told Nikana that they were going to miss the transport to Imperial Center. They had to ride back to Theed in his speeder first. She didn't mind. She just wanted to get out of the Lake Country as quickly as possible. She hoped that Luke was already on his way to Tattooine.

"I'm sorry for hugging you like that," she said as the speeder left the city. She glanced back a few times, but didn't see Han and Leia following them.

"You do not have to apologize," Ray told her. He increased the speed.

"Did our master send you?"

"Yes. First, he told me that you had disappeared, and that he had last seen you on Naboo. He told me not to harm you. I came to Theed because I did not know where to start looking. Then he contacted me again and said that you had been captured by Rebels, and that you might be with Skywalker or Organa."

"Do you know how he learned that?" Nikana asked, curious.

"No."

"How did you find out where we were?"

"I have seen Leia in the Lake Country before." Ray slowed the speeder again, now that they were going past a row of four houses.

Nikana decided not to tell him that she wasn't really a spy. Her father was already going to be mad that she had told Luke.

"Are you taking me to him?" she asked.

"Yes." Ray glanced at her. "I am sure that he just wants to know what you told the Rebels, and what you learned."

Nikana nodded. She had a lot of information for her father, which could help him capture Luke, Leia, and Han. Then, if he found and killed any of them, she would be partially responsible. That upset her a little. The three Rebels had been kind to her.

She looked at Ray. "Do you live here on Naboo, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No," he answered.

She wasn't going to ask where he lived. He probably wouldn't tell her, which she understood.

When they reached Theed, they quickly put the speeder in the lower compartment of Ray's ship, then left.

* * *

Nikana was surprised that they didn't go to the base on Imperial Center. They landed a few miles away from it, in a lot behind an expensive hotel. She realized that it was the one she and her parents sometimes stayed at if they were going to be here overnight.

"Why are we here?" she asked after she and Ray got out of the ship. Her father wouldn't be out in public in his armor, even late at night. Some of the stores and diners were open, so there were people out.

"He told me to bring you here, then leave you alone," Ray answered.

"Am I supposed to go into the hotel?"

"He did not say. I doubt that he would come here himself."

"I'll go inside. I'll probably run into Stormtroopers or an officer," Nikana whispered. She looked at him. "It was nice to see you again."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

* * *

Nikana quickly walked to the other end of the large lot. Before she reached the hotel's back entrance, her parents came outside. Vader was wearing a black cloak, not his armor. She hugged him first. She wanted him to know that she had really missed him; she had not been glad to get away from him.

"What is wrong?" he asked. He sensed that she was a little worried, even though she back with them now. He let go of her so that she could hug Padmé.

"I'll tell you later," she answered.

Padmé looked at her. "What is it?"

"Can we go to the ship?"

"Yes. Come on."

* * *

Inside their ship, Padmé heated a nerf steak. Nikana was hungry, since she hadn't eaten earlier. They sat down at the table, and she told them almost everything - about Luke, Leia, and Han's house in the Lake Country, that the three Rebels thought she was a spy, and that Mara Jade had been captured on Tattooine.

"They didn't suspect that you're his daughter?" Padmé asked.

"No." Nikana thought for a moment. "If they did, then they didn't say anything to me."

"What did you think about Luke?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was he nice to you?"

"All of them were," Nikana said. "Why? Did you think he would hurt me?"

"No," Padmé answered. "I was just wondering if you thought he was attractive. I thought he might try to pretend to like you, so he could trick you. I wouldn't want you to fall for it."

"No. I wouldn't want to be with a Rebel. I would prefer someone on your side...like an officer, or someone else."

"Ray," Vader said.

"Maybe." Nikana hesitated. She didn't want to try to talk to him about Ray yet. She stood up. "I'm going to go lay down."

"Wait," said Padmé. "You said you would tell what was bothering you."

"Oh."

Vader sensed that his daughter was worried again. "What is it?"

"I told Luke that I'm not a spy, and that my parents are Imperials," she answered. "He didn't have a chance to ask what my parents do, because he had to go to Tattooine."

Vader looked at her. "Why? Was he suspicious?"

"No. I said it on my own. He didn't ask. I was scared, and I thought that soon he would figure out that something wasn't right about me."

"What did he say?" asked Padmé.

"He said that the Rebels can help my parents, too," Nikana continued, "and that he would talk to me when he returned from Tattooine. But I escaped while I was out with Han and Leia, so he didn't have a chance to."

"Good," Vader said.

"I'm sorry, Father," Nikana added nervously.

"It is not a concern, as long as he did not find out that you are my daughter," he replied.

"Okay." She was relieved.

"Go rest," Padmé said. "We're going to launch the ship and go home."

Nikana hugged both of them, then went back to the bedroom. She still had to ask them why they hadn't told her that she was Force-sensitive, but she decided to wait until tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Luke, Leia, and Han were sitting in their living room. Mara Jade was in the room that Nikana had stayed in. The door wasn't locked, but she couldn't leave unless she came up to the front of the house and went past the three Rebels. There was the window, but Chewbacca was outside right now, practicing with a crossbow he had just gotten. He could stop her.

"Did you try to follow them?" Luke asked.

"We should have," Leia replied, "but even if we did, we couldn't go up to her and make her come back to us. It would have made a scene."

"What did the man look like?"

"He's a Falleen. He was talking to another Falleen man for a moment, but he and Nikana left by themselves."

"We have to leave," said Han. "She knows where we live. She's going to tell...your father."

"I know." Leia sighed. "You were right - we shouldn't have brought her here."

* * *

Mara went over to the window and looked through the curtains again. Chewbacca was still outside. If she climbed out of the window, she could Force-choke him, but Luke would sense that his friend was in danger. 

She didn't know what planet she was on. She had stayed in the back room of Luke's ship on the way here. He hadn't let her out until they landed. She was wearing dark brown pants and a sleeveless white shirt. The four Rebels who captured her had taken her dark green cloth jacket. Her lightsaber had been in the inside pocket. Maybe Luke had it now.

The door opened. Leia came inside.

"We are leaving," she said.

"Why?" Mara asked.

"I can't say. You're going with Luke. I'm going to take the clothes from the closet in here to his ship."

"Where are we going? A base?"

"No," Leia said. "You two will meet me and Han in a few days."

Mara realized that this was probably because of Nikana escaping. If the girl had figured out what planet this was, she was going to tell Darth Vader where the three Rebels were staying.

Leia took the clothes out of the closet and left. Mara sat down on the bed, wondering if the Emperor had tried to contact her. In two or three days, he would mostly likely send someone to look for her. She doubted that they would have any luck. There were not many clues. She had taken a transport ship to Tattooine. She had sold her own ship last week and hadn't bought a new one yet.

A few minutes later, Luke came in, holding her jacket.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He tossed the jacket to her.

She caught it and stood up without saying anything. She wasn't going to ask if he had her lightsaber. She would have to make a new one.

They went outside. He stayed close to her. He couldn't hold her with the Force, like he had done with Nikana, but he would quickly grab her if she tried to run off.

Inside the ship, she headed for the room at the back. He told her that she could stay in the cockpit if she wanted, but she ignored him.

* * *

"What did the Emperor say?" Nikana asked, brushing her hair. 

"You weren't gone for that long," Padmé said, sitting down on her daughter's bed. "We don't think he knows about it. I'm not sure if your father is going to tell him."

"Luke and Leia are wanted by the Empire. Wouldn't he be mad if he found out that I was with them, and that Father didn't tell him?"

"Your father will handle it. Don't worry. Do you want me to do something with your hair?"

"Alright."

Padmé went over to her and took the hairbrush. "Was Ray nice to you?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Did you talk on the way to Imperial Center?"

"Yes. Mostly about movies and ships and the planet Falleen. I told Father that he didn't give away information about any spying assignments that he's done."

"Good." Padmé took a section of Nikana's hair and started to braid it. "I can ask your father what he knows about him."

"You will?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

* * *

When Nikana went downstairs, Vader was just coming in from outside. She went over and hugged him. She knew he sensed that she was nervous again, so she decided to go ahead and talk to him. She wasn't going to hide anything from him. 

"Am I Force-sensitive?" she asked.

Vader wasn't surprised. He had thought she would find out while she was with the Rebels. "Did Luke tell you?"

"Not exactly. He told me that he and Leia are brother and sister. I asked if someone inherits the Force from their parents, and he said yes."

"The Emperor is concerned that I will train you," Vader said. "Since you were fifteen or so, he has asked me every few months if you know that you are Force-sensitive."

"What will he do now that I know?"

"I will keep you away from him. Do not worry."

Nikana nodded. Her nervousness had faded away. She hugged her father again, then went upstairs.

* * *

The next chapter will be longer. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Mara Jade came out of the ship's back room after less than an hour. Luke was in the kitchen area. He was wearing a sleevess grey shirt and black pants, and there were two lightsabers clipped to his belt. Neither of them were Mara's.

"We are going to Nikana's house," he said. He wasn't going tell her that it was on Yavin Four.

She hadn't expected him to share his plans with her. "Oh. You found out where she lives?"

"Han captured her there."

"Then why would she go back there? She's probably hiding somewhere else."

"I still want to look," Luke replied. "She said that she sees you sometimes, but you are not really friends."

"That's true, but I would much rather be with her than you and the other Rebels," Mara said.

"Do you dislike her?"

"No, and I don't want to be interrogated right now. Do you have anything to drink?"

"In that fridge," Luke answered. "Does the Emperor have any interest in her?"

Mara opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "Have you used this one? I don't want to get any of your diseases."

"Are you going to answer me?" Luke sounded annoyed now.

"As far as I know, she doesn't know that she's Force-sensitive."

"I noticed that. Do you have any idea why Vader hasn't told her?"

"No, and I'm not telling you anything else," Mara replied. "I'm going to take a nap."

* * *

Padmé quietly walked into Nikana's room, and sat down on her bed. After a moment, she opened her eyes.

"Good morning," Padmé said.

"Good morning." Nikana looked at the chrono on the table beside her bed, seeing that it was four-thirty. "What's going on?"

"Luke is here. Your father felt his presence about an hour ago."

"He must be looking for me. This is where I was caught."

"Darth Vader is here this time," Padmé pointed out, "and Luke may not be looking for you. Don't worry."

Nikana smiled. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair a few times. "Why are you waking me up, then?"

"I just wanted to tell you. I have to talk to you about something else, but go back to sleep. I'll tell you later."

"Just tell me now."

Padmé couldn't wait, either. She reached over and turned on the lamp on the beside table.

"What would you think about having a brother or sister?" she asked.

"Are you pregnant?"

"No."

"You and Father want to have a baby?"

"What would you think about it?"

"That's great," Nikana replied. "I wish I could have a sibling who was closer to my age, though."

"We aren't trying to have another baby," Padmé said. "Luke and Leia are our children."

"They are?"

"Nikana, we wanted to tell you earlier, but you were already upset after we told you that your father and Darth Vader are the same person. We decided to wait."

She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Is that why Luke and Leia were so nice to me?"

"I doubt it," answered Padmé. "They know that Vader is their father. We don't think that they know anything about you. Did they say something?"

"No," Nikana said softly. She yawned, but she wasn't tired. "Are you hiding anything else from me?"

"No. I promise. Go back to sleep."

"I want to stay awake in case Luke comes here."

"I am sorry," Padmé added, hugging her. "I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head, not looking happy.

* * *

Mara had fallen asleep again on the floor in the empty back room. She woke up earlier when the ship landed. Luke came back and told her that there was another bed in the other room, but she closed her eyes and stayed where she was.

She woke up again when the room's door slid open. Luke came in and knelt beside her, and touched her shoulder.

"I'm awake. Don't touch me," she said. "What time is it?"

"Six o' clock."

"Where are we?"

"I'm not telling you," Luke replied. "I wonder if Nikana could be coming here to see my father."

Now Mara remembered that she had felt Darth Vader's presence earlier. "Maybe. I didn't sense that she was here - but I don't think I know her well enough to sense her."

"Neither do I, and I am glad that you're being helpful now."

"I just said that to let know you know that I can't sense her, so you won't bother me."

"We're going somewhere to get breakfast," Luke said patiently, standing up. "Leia put your clothes in the other room, if you want to change. The weather is warm here."

Mara almost said no, but her pants and shirt were dirty. She had fallen in dirt on Tattooine when a Rebel woman stunned her with a blaster.

"Can I close the door? I don't want you to try to watch me," she said, even though she didn't really think Luke would do that.

"You aren't attractive to me," he told her. "I'll be at the front of the ship. Don't lock the door. If you do, I'll use a lightsaber to cut it open."

"Alright," Mara muttered.

* * *

Nikana was more excited now. She realized how much she liked having a brother and sister, and now she didn't worry about her father harming the two Rebels. She wondered if he wanted to use her to capture them. She thought that was a good idea, since Luke and Leia seemed to trust her. They probably thought she had run away because she was afraid of her master being angry at her.

Then again, they might not be so kind and patient the next time they saw her - she had left instead of accepting their offer to help her and her parents, and she had told Luke that she was loyal to Darth Vader.

She was in the garage now, watching her father fix one of his training lightsabers. She thought she should watch, although she wasn't sure if she wanted to be trained or not.

"It would have been harder to hide twins from the Emperor, wouldn't it?" she asked.

"I wanted to protect them from the Jedi," Vader told her. "There were still several that I had to find."

"Oh. Is it true that you knew the Emperor when he was still a chancellor?"

"Yes," Vader answered. He still did not want her to know about Anakin yet. "Mara Jade is here."

"She just came here?"

"No. I sensed her presence when I sensed Luke's."

Nikana was about to ask if he would teach her to do that, but she didn't want to bring up the subject of training. She left the garage.

* * *

Before getting dressed, Mara searched the room, in case Luke had left a lightsaber or a comlink in here. She didn't find anything. She opened the closet and looked at the clothes that Leia had put inside for her. There was a black dress that stopped just above her knees. She could move easily in it if she got a chance to run off.

She looked in each of the shelves in the back of the closet. There was a brush, hairclips, and pins in one. She used the brush and left her hair down.

Luke was waiting for her in the cockpit.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "but first...did you say that I'm not attractive because I'm an Imperial?"

"It bothers you that I am not attracted to you?"

"I was just asking," Mara snapped. "Nevermind. Let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Inside the diner, Mara turned around and looked at the three human men sitting in the booth behind her and Luke's. She asked them what planet this was. One of them told her that it was Yavin Four. Luke didn't say anything to her.

As they walked back to the ship - they hadn't ridden in his speeder - he waited until they were out of the city before talking.

"I have to lock you in the room when I go to Nikana's house," he said. "I don't want to, but you might try to take the ship while I'm gone."

Mara looked at the brown robe he was wearing. It was warm outside, but he probably wanted to hide the two lightsabers on his belt. She was walking on the side of him where they were. Later, she could try to quickly grab one. Maybe Nikana would help her once she thought of a plan.

"Alright," she said. "Then you can have a break from my hideous, unattractive looks."

"I apologize for saying that you aren't attractive me. I should have kept that to myself," Luke told her gently. He wasn't being sarcastic.

"I hate you."

"You can leave."

"What?"

Luke stopped walking. "You can leave. I won't try to stop you."

"Why?"

"I have no use for you, and it's not fair to keep you for no reason. Nikana is the one I have to capture."

"But you know that I'm going to tell my master everything that I learned. Are you really foolish enough to let me go?"

"What can you tell him? You don't know what planet Han and Leia's house is on, or where they are now. You know that Nikana lives on Yavin Four, but not where exactly her house is, or where I am taking her."

Mara had to admit that he was right. She was a little discouraged. She had always thought that Luke would be thrilled to capture the Emperor's Hand, but he didn't seem to care. Perhaps he didn't consider her to be a threat.

_I know that he is Darth Vader's son_, she thought. She almost said that, but realized that it wasn't really any help. He knew that if she told anyone that he was Vader's son, they probably wouldn't believe her.

"What about my lightsaber?" she asked. She needed to go ahead and leave before he changed his mind.

Luke reached inside the robe and took one of the sabers from his belt. He handed it to her.

"It's a training saber," he said. "You should be able to defend yourself with it for now. If you want, you can come back to the ship and get one of my tents."

"No. I'll walk back to the city and try to find a transport ship."

Luke waited a moment, to make sure that she wasn't going to try to attack him with the training saber. She turned around and went away. After there was some space between them, he continued walking to the ship.

When he reached it, he quickly got his speeder out of the lower compartment. Once he had Nikana, he would have to hurry back and leave, before Vader found them.

* * *

On the way back to the city, Luke went past Mara, but he didn't have time to stop and offer to give her a ride. She was almost there anyway.

He went to the area where Nikana's house was - Han had told him how to get to it. He hid the speeder just inside the patch of trees that Han had gone through, then started walking.

After going past a couple of houses, he found Nikana's. There were no speeders outside, and the curtains in all of the front windows were closed, so he couldn't see anything inside. Maybe she wasn't home. He knelt down and hid behind the large bushes while he tried to think of something to do. Since they had to leave quickly, he would have to find a way into the house and see if she there.

The front door opened. Looking through the bush, Luke saw Nikana stood in the entrance. She was wearing black pants with a white top that tied around her neck, with her hair down. She looked at the front yard for a moment, then closed the door again.

* * *

"I am so glad that you aren't angry with us," Padmé said after her daughter closed the door.

"I'm not. I wish you would have told me sooner, though," Nikana replied. "I guess it's not going to rain. The sky isn't cloudy."

They both started to walk away from the door when it buzzed. They stopped.

"Go upstairs," Padmé said. "Your father is in our room."

Once Nikana was gone, she opened the door a little. Luke was there. She wanted to hug him.

"Hello," she told him, smiling.

"Can I see Nikana?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I'm just in a hurry. I'm one of her friends. Are you her mother?"

"Yes."

"She told me that you and her father are Imperials," Luke said quietly.

"I know."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes."

"Please let me inside. I know that my friends and I scared Nikana by capturing her, but we want to help her, and you and her father."

"I saw you on Tattooine," Padmé said, "a few years ago. I think my husband and I sat near you at a pod race."

That had been when Luke was seventeen and Nikana was ten. They sat two rows above him and his friends.

"That's nice," he said, "but we have to leave now. Will you and Nikana come outside?"

Padmé had an idea.

"No," she told him.

She shut the door and waited. A moment later, the tip of Luke's lightsaber blade slowly came through the door. He probably wanted to be sure that he didn't accidently injure her if she was standing nearby.

She went upstairs.

* * *

The next chapter will be longer. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

After he cut through the door, Luke entered the house. He didn't see Nikana's mother anywhere. He decided to go upstairs first.

All of the doors in the second level's hallway were closed, except for one. He could see that the bed inside had purple blankets and pillows. It was probably Nikana's room. He quietly went over and stepped inside.

She was standing near her vanity table. He sensed that she was scared. He wondered why her mother hadn't told her to hide somewhere.

"Nikana, I want you and your parents to come with me," he said gently. "I am not mad at you for escaping. I promise."

She shook her head slightly.

"You probably know that Darth Vader is on Yavin Four right now," he added. "We have to go."

She tried to walk past him. He quickly put one arm around her. She didn't try to struggle with him.

"I don't want to do this, but I have to just take you right now," he said. "We don't have much time. I will send someone to get your parents."

Nikana didn't say anything. She realized that she had a good chance to snatch Luke's lightsaber, even thought Vader had told her to cooperate until he came into the room. She hesitated, then quickly grabbed it. She was able to yank it out of the loop on the belt.

She carefully held it close to her chest, wanting to be sure that she didn't accidently turn it on, and took a couple of steps back.

Luke was a little impatient. They had to get out of here before his father found them.

"Nikana, this isn't going to help either of us," he told her calmly. "Please give me my lightsaber back."

For a moment, she considered giving it back to him. Their father was probably going to think that what she had done was foolish. She was sure he would be angry, though, if she told him that she had actually gotten the lightsaber and didn't keep it.

"Let's go into the hallway," she said, holding the lightsaber behind her back. "I promise, I won't try to use this."

"Alright."

Nikana cautiously followed him out of the room, expecting him to turn around and try to tackle her. He didn't. When she stepped into the hallway, she saw that Vader was there. She went over to him and gave him the lightsaber.

* * *

Mara Jade was sitting at a table outside of a café, looking at the transport station across the street. A transport going to Imperial Center had just left a few minutes ago. She could have sneaked onto it, but she didn't. She knew she should go back to the Emperor as soon as possible, so that she could tell him everything that had happened, but she realized how tired she was.

_I can stay here for another day_, she thought. _Even if I stay for two days, it won't be long enough for him to wonder if something happened to me_.

She started eating the bantha steak she had ordered, which came with pashi noodles. She only had three credits - the Rebels hadn't taken them when they captured her - so she wouldn't be able to pay for it.

_Or maybe he won't care if I don't come back at all_.

_No. I _am_ important to him. Luke probably _wants_ to make me feel worthless. That has to be part of the reason why he let me go - he is trying to manipulate me_.

After she ate, she went back to the transport station to see if another ship was going to Imperial Center today.

* * *

Luke sat on the bed in Nikana's room. The door wasn't locked, but if he left, he would have to get past his father, and he didn't have his lightsaber. He could go out the window, but he didn't want to. He had just realized what was going on with Nikana.

A few minutes later, she came back to the room. She left the door open behind her.

"They want me to talk to you," she said, "and they're in the hallway. If you attack me, I'll scream."

"I am not going to hurt you," Luke told her, looking at the framed picture on the table beside her bed. It showed her and her mother sitting beside each other.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thank you."

Nikana thought for a moment. "I guess I can start by telling you that I know Vader is your father."

"And you are my sister?"

"You _know_?"

"I just figured it out. Your have the same hair and eyes as him, you and your mother are in his house, and you are very Force-sensitive."

"Oh."

"Do you have the same mother as Leia and I - Padmé?"

"Yes," Nikana answered. "I didn't know that I had any siblings until after I escaped. Our parents told me when we came home."

Luke remembered her saying that she was loyal to Vader. She had actually grown up with their parents. He wanted to ask her more questions, but not while Vader and Padmé were in the hallway, listening.

"Are you angry at me?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I am glad that you are alright. When you were at the house on Naboo, I thought something was bothering you, other than being captured."

"I was scared. Anyway, there's another bedroom across the hall. Father said that he trusts you not to leave the house. I hope you won't, because I like having you here."

"I won't, but my ship is still outside the city. Can we get it if I promise not to escape?"

"I'll ask."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note**: I'm not trying to whine, but I want to remind a couple of people that if you aren't liking this story, then just stop reading it. 

**Chapter Fifteen**

After waiting a little while, Luke left Nikana's room. She had said that their father trusted him not to leave the house, so it was probably alright if he went downstairs without asking.

He stopped in the hallway when he heard someone coming up the stairs. It was Padmé, holding a couple of folded blankets and two pillows.

"You aren't trying to leave, are you?" she asked, sounding unhappy.

"No. I wanted to talk to you," Luke said. He sensed her feeling better.

"Let's go to your room."

The extra bedroom had two beds with a table between them, and one window that faced the house's side yard. Padmé started putting a blanket on one of the beds.

"Vader wants to stay in here with you, just for a couple of nights," she said. "He really does trust you. He just wants to be careful."

"I understand," Luke replied, looking through the window.

Padmé straightened the blanket on the bed. "Since we are alone right now, I need to tell you something. Nikana doesn't know anything about Anakin Skywalker."

"She doesn't?"

"No. She probably thinks that Skywalker is some fake last name that you use. Please don't say anything to her. She just found out that she's Force-sensitive and that she has two siblings."

"I won't say anything. I promise."

"Thank you." Padmé went over to him. He hugged her. "Nikana didn't always know that your father is Darth Vader. She thought he was in the maintenance crew on a Star Destroyer. When she turned thirteen, we told her the truth."

"Was she scared?"

"Yes. She was sort of nervous around him after that. But since she escaped from you and Leia, she has been closer with him again."

Luke was quiet for a moment, then said, "That is good."

Padmé noticed that he sounded a little suspicious, but she didn't say anything about it. After he spent more time with his father, he would start to change his mind about him.

* * *

Nikana was sitting on her bed, looking at a magazine, when she heard her father's voice in her head.

_Come outside_.

She was startled. She almost ignored it, then changed her mind. He was going to ask her if she had heard him.

She sighed and left her room. Vader was in the hallway.

"You heard me," he said.

"Yes," she said quietly. She wished that he hadn't done that. She did not want to talk about training.

He put his arms around her. "I have decided to make Ray your personal guard on the Star Destroyers."

"Ray?" She was surprised. "Does he know that I am your daughter?"

"He will think that you are my cousin. I will be re-training Luke, and since you were captured, I want someone to watch you when we are busy."

Nikana thought that was a good idea. If Ray still liked her after hearing that she was Vader's cousin, he would probably like her if he knew that she was actually Vader's daughter. Of course, she was not going to tell him.

"Thank you," she said.

"Do not get excited. Ray is serious. Even if he did not know that you are related to me, he would focus on doing what I tell him instead of getting into a relationship with you."

Nikana realized that he was right. She remembered that Ray had talked to her on the way to Imperial Center and kissed her forehead before he left her at the hotel. Perhaps he was still just being polite to her because he thought she was important to Vader.

* * *

Mara Jade had found out that there were no more transports going to Imperial Center until the next morning. She could have waited, but instead, she spontaneously went to a ship that was leaving for Naboo. Han and Leia weren't there now, and Luke probably wasn't, either.

She had been there for almost an hour when she felt the Emperor's presence. At first, she thought that he had somehow learned that she had been captured, but she doubted that he would come here personally to get her. He probably wanted Luke and Leia.

Then she remembered her meeting with him before she went to Tattooine. He had mentioned looking at houses here. This was most likely the first time he had come, or else he probably would have found out that Luke and Leia were living here.

Of course, he sensed that she was here. He would want to know why she wasn't on Tattooine.

_Master_, she said mentally.

When he talked to her, she would tell him what had happened.

* * *

"I think you should forget it," Luke said.

Nikana had just told him everything about Ray. They had talked a lot during the past few hours. Even though he liked her, he was still careful about what he said. It was possible that she was going to report everything that he told her to Vader.

"But don't you think Father would want me to like an Imperial?"

"Yes, but Ray is a spy. Even if Father does trust him more than other spies, he probably _doesn't_ trust him as much as an officer."

Nikana knew that he was right, but she decided to change the subject. "Anyway, did I hear Father talking to me in my mind because now I know that I'm Force-sensitive?"

"Yes, even if your training isn't done. He talked to me after I met him at Cloud City."

"He hasn't trained me at all."

"Maybe he wants to work with me first."

"Maybe," Nikana said. She didn't want to talk about training with him, either. "Are you hungry? We could go downstairs and get something to eat."

* * *

Vader and Padmé weren't downstairs. Nikana said that Vader was looking at something one of their ships.

Luke stayed in his room for the rest of the day and slept for a couple of hours. He hadn't gotten much sleep earlier, when he was piloting his ship and had to watch Mara Jade. He didn't see Vader until that evening, when his father came into the room.

"You don't have to stay in here," Luke told him. "I won't try to escape."

"I do not think you will. Nikana said that you seem to like being here," he replied, but he wasn't going to leave.

The door opened. Padmé came inside. Vader slid one of his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She hugged him.

"Good night," she said. She looked at Luke. "Are we going to get your ship tomorrow?"

"Yes," Vader answered, "when we return from the Executor."

"Will the Emperor be there?" Luke asked.

"No," said Padmé, "and you'll be in Nikana's ship with us. We are going so that she can meet with Ray about his new assignment."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note (read please):** I'm going to update again in about a week, when the rest of the story is done. I'm not bored with it or anything, it's just easier for me than doing one chapter at a time. Thanks for the reviews. 

**Chapter Sixteen**

Nikana waited for Ray inside her father's private rooms on the _Executor_. She was in a good mood. Since that morning, and on the way here, Vader and Luke had gotten along well, and she didn't think that they were just pretending because she and Padmé were around.

She stood near the sphere-shaped chamber, which was closed. She was wearing a dark blue robe with the hood over her head. The bottom of the hood was closed enough to hide her mouth and nose. Since everyone on the Star Destroyers was going to think that she was Vader's cousin, she didn't want them to know what she looked like without the disguise.

Ray arrived a few minutes early. Once the doors closed behind him, she took the hood off of her head. There weren't any cameras in here.

"Hello," she said. "I am sorry for not being honest with you."

_I am still not being honest - I am not telling him that Vader is really my father_, she thought.

"I understand," he replied. He was wearing black pants and a matching sleeveless shirt. He was muscular, and he could probably fight very well if he had to protect her.

"I hope that you won't treat me differently because of my cousin. I am glad that he made you my guard. I don't have a lot of friends."

"I am honored that he chose me," Ray said, "and I would like to apologize if I have...made you uncomfortable before."

Nikana hesitated. "Are you...interested in me?"

"We don't know each other well."

"Would you say that if I wasn't Lord Vader's cousin?"

"Yes, I would, My Lady. I apologize. I don't mean to offend you."

Nikana didn't believe him. She couldn't sense lies yet, but she was sure that he wouldn't be saying this if he still thought that she was a spy. She sighed.

"You don't have to call me 'My Lady' when we are alone," she told him. "Anyway, I will be here the day after tomorrow, around one o' clock, after Lord Vader arrives. Meet me in the hangar where we usually leave our ships."

"Are you using an Imperial shuttle?"

"No, my own ship," Nikana answered, wanting to leave now. She was trying not to cry. "I will see you then."

Ray looked at her. "Please forgive me. I don't mean to upset you."

"You don't have to keep apologizing. I won't tell Lord Vader about any of this. Will you escort me back to my ship now?"

"Yes."

Nikana put her robe's hood over her head again. She didn't say anything as they walked to the hangar.

* * *

Inside her ship, her parents and Luke were sitting at the table in the kitchen area.

"How did everything go?" Padmé asked.

"Fine," Nikana said. She knew that Vader and Luke sensed that she was upset, and she didn't want to talk about it. She went to the room in the back.

Once she was gone, Luke whispered, "Do you want me to talk to her?"

"I will," Padmé said, standing up. "Luke, please think about what we said."

* * *

Nikana took her robe off and put it inside the empty room's closet. She was planning to turn this room into a lounge, but she hadn't gotten the couches yet. She looked at the entrance as Padmé came inside.

"What did you talk about while I was gone?" she asked.

"We tried to convince Luke to tell us where Leia and Han are," Padmé answered.

"Oh, I almost forgot about Leia. I really want to see her. Do you want me to try?"

"Yes. He might tell you. Are you alright?"

"Ray doesn't like me."

"I am sorry, but your father is right - Ray knows that he is supposed to be your guard, not your boyfriend. I am glad that he wants to focus on his job."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Padmé hugged Nikana. "You know that if you wanted a boyfriend, several of the officers have sons that your father approves of."

"I doubt it," she said. "I bet that Father only let me go on dates with Admiral Piett's nephew because he was leaving to start his officer training soon."

She left the room.

* * *

Mara Jade was on Imperial Center now, in her apartment. On Naboo, she had finally gotten a response from the Emperor, after waiting a couple of hours. He mentally told her to go to Imperial Center and wait for him to contact her again.

She was glad when she heard her holograph transmission pad beeping. She couldn't wait to meet with him. She needed a crystal so that she could make a new lightsaber.

Luke's image showed up in front of her, not her master's.

"How did you get my signal?" she demanded.

"A spy found out where your apartment is, before you were captured on Tattooine," Luke said.

Mara sighed. She would have to move.

"Are you still on Yavin Four?" she asked, even though she wouldn't be able to sense if he was lying. They weren't talking in person.

"I am not telling you."

"Why are you contacting me?"

"I wanted to see if you were home. Are you alright?"

"Yes. Don't send anyone here. I'm leaving right now."

"I won't. I let you go because I don't have any use for you," said Luke.

Without saying anything else, Mara turned the pad off. She decided not to go anywhere. She did believe that he wasn't going to have her captured.

She was tired. She thought it was likely that the Emperor wouldn't contact her until tomorrow, so she went to her bedroom and fell asleep.

* * *

"Thank you. I won't try to contact anyone else," Luke said. He had used his parents' holograph pad, in the living room.

It was dark outside. His ship was now behind the house, with theirs and Nikana's. The four of them had gotten it earlier.

"Good," Vader replied. He had stood to the side and watched Luke talk to Mara.

"Leia and Han are on Ord Mantell."

"Why are you telling me?"

"I don't want to fight with you," Luke answered. "You should have Leia captured. If I tell her to come here, Han will want to stay with her."

"The Emperor will find out," Vader said. "I want you to go to Ord Mantell and get her."

Luke was glad that his father trusted him enough to let him do that. "That will work. Han won't be worried if Leia is with me."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note (read please)**: I'm still going to update when the rest of the story is done, probably in another week. Again, I'm not bored with the story; this is just easier for me than doing one chapter at a time. 

**Chapter Seventeen**

Early the next morning, when it was still dark, Darth Vader went outside and hid a tracking device on Luke's ship. He did want to trust his son, but he had to be careful. He hadn't convinced Luke to join him yet.

As he walked back to the house, Nikana came out of the back door. She was already dressed, in black pants and a dark blue sleeveless top.

"I saw you go outside," she said when Vader was closer to her. "I was already awake."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I just couldn't fall asleep again. Is Luke's ship alright?"

"I put a tracking device on it," Vader replied. "Do not tell him."

"He said that you trusted him enough to go get Leia," said Nikana. She had thought her father and Luke were getting along very well.

"I do, but I still have to be cautious. Luke has not been with us very long. He may change his mind while he is gone and decide not to come back."

Nikana had to agree with that. She almost offered to go with her brother, but realized that wasn't a good idea. If he decided not to return to Yavin Four, she would be captured again, and he would probably make sure that he stayed with her this time, so that she couldn't escape.

"Mom probably told you what happened with Ray," she said.

"Yes."

"I know that he would have liked me if he still thought that I was one of your spies, not your cousin." Nikana paused. "I am not trying to accuse you, but is that why you did this?"

"Why do you think I would?" Vader asked. He didn't sound angry.

"I thought it was strange that you wanted me to have a personal guard. Ever since I was captured, you've been watching me constantly. I know you wouldn't let your guard down, even if you are going to be a little busy re-training Luke. I thought that maybe you did this to make Ray stay away from me."

"You are right. I am proud of you."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Nikana asked.

Vader hugged her. "If I did not, you would still pretend to be my spy, which would be just as dishonest as making him think that you are my cousin."

"I know." She sighed.

"You do not want to be involved with a spy, Nikana. Even though I trust Ray more than my other spies, and he is afraid of me, I would not be surprised if he decided to try to make money by giving someone information about Darth Vader's cousin."

"I didn't think of that," Nikana said, feeling a little foolish. "I am sorry if I seemed disrespectful. Are you really going to let Ray guard me, though?"

"No. When you see him on the Executor tomorrow, you will tell him that you do not need him after all. I will contact him later and cancel his assignment as your guard."

Nikana nodded. She felt guilty for a moment when she remembered Ray saying that he was honored that Vader chose him, but maybe he just wanted to sound polite. She hoped that her father hadn't been disappointed in her for being so naive.

They went inside.

* * *

Padmé went into Luke's room before he left for Ord Mantell. Vader hadn't stayed in there last night. Padmé was a little relieved when their son was still there the next morning, but she realized that maybe he didn't want to try to escape while Vader was around.

"What are you going to tell Leia?" she asked as she hugged him.

"That I had a meeting with some of the other Rebel officers, and they think she should hide with someone different for a little while, instead of Han and Chewbacca," Luke said. "We split up into different groups sometimes, so it won't be new to her."

"Good." Padmé took his hand and kissed it. "I hope that you'll come back."

"I will," Luke told her.

She hugged him again, but he didn't think that she believed him.

* * *

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca were in the city where they were supposed to meet Luke, in the landing area they had told him about. They had decided that they were going to stay in the Millenium Falcon instead of getting a room in a hotel, so that Luke could find them when he arrived.

Luke landed his ship beside theirs. When he came outside, Leia and Han were there.

"Are you going to let Mara come out?" Leia asked him.

"I let her go."

Han looked at him. "Why?"

"I went to Nikana's house on Yavin Four," Luke said. "I wanted to capture her again. We don't have any reason to keep Mara, so I decided to let her go instead of worrying about watching her."

"Luke, she was at our house," Leia replied.

"We aren't there now, and if she goes back to Naboo, she won't know how to find it. Capturing Nikana is more important."

"Did you catch her?" Han asked.

"No. I want Leia to help me. Nikana likes her more."

"Alright," Leia said softly. She was a little suspicious. Her brother knew that the Rebellion needed to catch Mara Jade - one of the Emperor's spies - even if they didn't have any use for her right now. She thought it was strange that he had just let her go.

Luke sensed that she was uneasy.

"You should go before she decides to leave Yavin Four, if she's there," Han said.

"You aren't coming with us?" Leia asked.

"You can catch her without me. Chewbacca and I have to fix a couple of things on the ship."

"Oh. Okay."

"We'll come back here, Han," Luke said.

Leia hugged Han, then took his hand and led him away, to the other side of the _Millenium Falcon_. She probably wanted to say something about Luke letting Mara go. A few minutes later, she came back.

"Let's go," she said.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Leia was surprised when Luke landed his ship right behind Nikana's house, beside the other two ships there.

"Luke, now she knows that we're here," she said.

"I was staying here with her."

"She let you? Tell me what's going on."

Luke was quiet at first, then asked, "Have you noticed what her first and last names are when you spell them backwards?"

Leia thought about it. "'Nikana' is Anakin, and 'Aladima' is Amidala."

"Yes. She is our younger sister. She has hair and eyes like mine, and she has just as much Force potential as us."

"This could be a trick. Her name could be fake, and not every Force-sensitive girl with blonde hair and blue eyes is related to us."

"She and our parents are inside the house," Luke said.

Leia thought about getting out of the ship and leaving, but that probably wouldn't work. She hadn't been trained yet, so her brother could use a Force technique on her, like holding her in place.

"We aren't going back to Ord Mantell, are we?" she asked.

"We will sort that out later."

* * *

Leia didn't say anything to Luke as they walked over to the house's back patio. Nikana was there, with a brown-haired human girl. When Leia was closer, she realized that the other girl was her mother. She had barely noticed that Luke had said "parents".

"Leia," Padmé said, hugging her. She had to talk to her daughter alone now, so she could tell her not to mention Anakin Skywalker to Nikana.

Leia hugged her back tightly, as if she had missed her, then followed her inside.

"She seems to trust Mom already," Nikana said to Luke.

"I must have scared her," he replied. "She probably thinks that I joined the Empire."

"Have you decided yet?"

"No."

Nikana wasn't going to bother him about it. She changed the subject. "Father told me that making Ray my guard was just a trick to make him stop liking me. He is going to assign him back to being a spy."

"I have to agree with what he did, and I am not sensing that you're upset."

"No, I'm not."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

A couple of hours later, there was a knock on Nikana's bedroom door. She opened it. It was Leia.

"There you are," Nikana said.

"I was talking to our father."

"I didn't know that you and Luke were my brother and sister when I was at your house. I didn't know that I had any siblings."

"I know. Mom told me," Leia replied. "She said that I should stay in your room."

She was worried. Padmé had asked for her comlink, so she couldn't call Han. He knew that she and Luke had gone to Nikana's house, and when they were still gone after two or three days, he would probably come here to look for them. She wanted to keep him away from Vader.

"Yes," Nikana said. "We have another bedroom downstairs. They'll probably let you have it once they're sure that you won't try to leave."

"Do you think they'll let me go back to Han?"

"I don't know. Wait a few days and show them that you aren't going to sneak away. Then ask them."

Leia sighed. She walked over to the desk. Beside Nikana's computer was a framed picture of her and two other girls, a Twi'lek and a Chiss.

"Are these your friends?" Leia asked.

"Yes. They both live on other planets now," said Nikana. "I don't have any other friends."

"I know what that's like. I didn't have many close friends when I lived on Alderaan. Luke and Han and Chewbacca are my closest friends."

Nikana decided not to bring up the subject of Luke possibly joining the Empire. Leia probably didn't want to talk about it.

* * *

Ray was already waiting outside of the entrance to Vader's private rooms when Nikana arrived. She was surprised at how calm and unmoved she was. Seeing him again didn't make her upset.

"Hello," she said. "Thank you for meeting me here, but something came up, and I won't need you today."

"Your father told me you were going to say that," Ray said quietly.

"What?" Nikana took a couple of steps away.

Ray looked to see if anyone was around, then softly said, "I have known Lord Vader for almost ten years. When he told me about my assignment to be your guard, he also said that he is your father."

Nikana didn't believe him. She turned and quickly walked away. When she was almost at the end of the hallway, the _Executor_'s captain appeared.

"Will you take me back to the hangar where my ship is?" she asked.

"Yes, My Lady," he replied. Like all the other officers, he now thought that she was Vader's cousin. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but will you just go with me, please?" Nikana looked back to make sure that Ray wasn't coming toward them. He was gone.

"Yes, My Lady."

* * *

When she went inside her ship, Vader was standing near the top of the entrance ramp, waiting for her. That didn't surprise her at first, since she had told everyone that she would be back in a few minutes. Padmé, Luke, and Leia were probably still in the kitchen area.

She waited until the entrance ramp was closed all the way, then said, "Ray told me that he knows you are my father."

"I told him," Vader replied.

"He wasn't lying?"

"No. Did he tell you everything?"

"He said that he has known you for ten years, and that you told him who I was when you assigned him to be my guard," Nikana answered. "Then I left. Was that everything?"

"I want you to marry him."

"Marry him? You don't like him."

"I never disliked him," Vader said. "I told you that yesterday because I wanted to see if you could sense that I was not being honest. I also told him to lie and say that he had no interest in you."

Nikana didn't even care about the fact that Ray might really like her. She was bothered by the fact that her father had manipulated her, just to see if she could sense lies.

"How could you do that?" she asked softly. "Did you even care that I was sad when Ray rejected me, and did Mom know that you were doing this?"

"She did not like it at first."

"When do I have to marry him?"

"After your birthday."

That was later this year. Nikana wasn't really upset about having to marry Ray, but she was sad that her father had toyed with her feelings, and her mother had agreed with it.

She headed for the empty room at the back of the ship. She didn't say anything to Luke, Leia, or Padmé when she went through the kitchen area.

* * *

She sat down on the floor when the ship started to move. A few minutes after that, Padmé came into the room.

"I know you are mad at us," she said. She sat down beside her daughter.

"I can't believe that you agreed with this."

"Vader wouldn't have normally tricked you, but after he decided that he wanted Ray to marry you, you were kidnapped. Then we told you about your siblings. We didn't want to give you too much news at once, so we decided to wait until you were used to Leia and Luke."

Nikana understood that. Her anger started to fade away. "Do you know how old Ray is?"

"Forty-one."

Nikana nodded. Falleen lived to be over two hundred, so Ray was kind of a young adult.

Padmé hugged her. "I told Luke and Leia already."

"Did they say anything about wanting to come to my wedding?"

"No."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"Are you angry?" Leia asked later, sitting down on Nikana's bed.

"No. I like Ray," Nikana answered. She was looking in her closet. Darth Vader had told her that Ray was coming here tonight.

"And you can see him whenever you want."

"Just do what I told you - be nice to Father and try to talk to him during the next couple of days. If you show him that you like being here, he will probably let you see Han."

Leia knew that her sister was right. "Do you think he can come to your wedding?"

"Sure." Nikana was glad to hear her say that. Maybe she and Luke were thinking of staying. "Do you think he will come here today?"

"Probably not, but he will definately be worried when Luke and I aren't back by tomorrow night."

* * *

That evening, Nikana took her speeder and rode into the town, to the park where she was supposed to meet Ray. At first, she couldn't believe that her father was letting them two of them go out alone, after she had been captured, but Ray knew how angry Vader would be if he let anything happen to Nikana. She trusted him.

Ray was waiting for her outside of one of the park's entrances. She stopped her speeder beside his and got out. In case something happened and she did have to try to escape, she was wearing black boots and pants, with a short-sleeved pink shirt.

"My father told me everything," she said, walking over to him. She looked around to make sure that no one else was nearby.

"I am honored that he chose me to marry you."

"It doesn't make you mad that you have to?"

"No."

Nikana stood on her toes and quickly kissed his cheek. He kissed her mouth.

She thought of something. "Don't you live on Falleen?"

"I am moving here. I was planning to move even before your father told me to marry you," Ray said.

"If he wasn't making you, would you still be interested in me?"

"I would. I said that I didn't like you because he told me to lie, so that he could see if you were able to sense it."

"I wasn't. He wasn't disappointed, though. I haven't had any training yet," Nikana said. She wasn't trying to avoid talking about training anymore - she had even asked Vader some questions on the way back from the _Executor_ earlier.

* * *

An hour after Nikana left, Leia was sitting in the living room, where she heard a speeder approaching the house. She went to the window and looked through the curtains. It was Han.

She went to the front door and tried to open it. It was locked. She didn't know the security code. Quickly, she went back through the living room, to the dining room, and opened the back door.

"Han!" she called, before she reached the house's front yard. He came over to the side.

"Are you and Luke alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Where's Nikana?"

"Here - not right now, but she'll be back later."

"You haven't tried to catch her yet?"

"No," Leia said. "Let's go inside."

* * *

Ray and Nikana went to one of the park's ponds, a small one that was surrounded by rocks and a few bushes. No one else was here right now, so they could talk.

"I have something for you," Ray said. He took a black ring box out of the inside pocket of his dark red cloak.

Nikana smiled. He opened the box. The ring inside was gold, with one large diamond and a smaller one on each side. She held her hand out so that he could put it on her finger.

"I am glad that we are getting married," she said, hugging him.

"So am I."

- The End -

Thanks for all of the reviews. From now on, I'm not going to upload a new story until it's finished. It's easier for me than doing a chapter every few days.


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Alright, Ray. I will talk to you later," Nikana said. She turned off her comlink.

It had been two weeks since Darth Vader had told her that she was going to marry Ray. Ray had just purchased a house on Yavin Four, in a neighborhood near here.

Mara Jade was sitting beside on Nikana's bed. Nikana was guarding her right now, while Luke and Vader were downstairs.

She had been captured and brought to the _Executor_ last week, after Vader and Luke took over the Empire. She was bitter toward them, but mostly nice to Nikana and Padmé. Neither of them had asked her many questions about the Emperor, so she guessed that Vader and Luke weren't using them to get information from her.

"He is going to be on the Executor tomorrow," Nikana said. "I'll ask Father if I can go. If I do, Luke will have to watch you."

Mara was quiet.

"I still think he would like you if you talked to him more," Nikana added.

"I'm not trying to make him like me. Even if I was, I told you what happened when we came here to find the house. He said that he doesn't find me attractive."

"He was still a Rebel then. He probably wasn't interested in you because you're an Imperial."

"I don't like him!" Mara snapped. Then she softly said, "Sorry. I'm just angry at him and your father."

"It's alright," Nikana replied. She thought her new friend would change her attitude after she had been here a little longer.

* * *

An hour later, Mara went to Luke's room. She stayed in the extra bed in there. He usually didn't talk to her. They hadn't talked much at all since she was captured, except when he and Vader asked her a few questions about the Emperor.

He wasn't in the room. She went over to the large closet and changed into one of her nightgowns - Nikana and Padmé had bought some clothes for her - then got into her bed.

Luke came in a few minutes later, when she was almost asleep. She opened her eyes and looked at him, but didn't say anything.

She closed her eyes again. She could probably wait a few hours, then quietly go downstairs, but the house's front and back doors would be locked. She didn't know the security code for them. She could go through a window.

"Is Nikana going to the Executor tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes. I will stay here with you," Luke answered. "We are getting married."

"Why?" Mara sat up a little. "You don't like me."

"I was a Rebel when I said that I didn't find you attractive. I would never want to be with someone who works for the Emperor. But I started to feel differently even before I joined my father."

Nikana had been right. Mara thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you only join him because of me?"

"No," said Luke, sitting down on his bed. He sensed her feelings. She actually wasn't angry.

"I'm going to sleep," she said softly. She snuggled under the blankets again.

* * *

The next morning, Padmé went out to the backyard. The _Millenium Falcon_ was in the landing area, with her and Vader's ship, Nikana's, and Luke's. Han and Leia were staying in there for now.

They had gotten married last week, before Mara Jade was captured. Leia had started talking to Vader more during the past few days. She had stopped avoiding him and Luke.

She was standing outside, holding a glass of juice.

"Good morning," she said.

Padmé hugged her. "Nikana and I are going to the Executor with your father later. Luke will be here."

"Okay."

"He and Mara are getting married."

"They are?" Leia asked. "Does Mara like him?"

"I think she does, even if she won't admit it yet."

* * *

I know this wasn't much of a chapter, I just wanted to add it because the last chapter didn't tell whether Luke and Mara got together or not. Thanks for all of the reviews. 


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